1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an indoor/outdoor advertising device and a method for manufacturing the same, and in particular, to an indoor/outdoor advertising device used for indoor/outdoor advertisement materials or signboards (e.g., indoor decorations, outdoor signboards, clocks, guiding boards, scoreboards, displays on show windows, etc.) that can be easily manufactured because of its simple structure and that can provide an outstanding advertisement effect not only at night but also during the daytime by emitting light from the light elements throughout surfaces thereof with less consumption of electric power.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, neon lamps are mainly used for advertising materials or neon signs. However, neon lamps are apt to be damaged due to exposure of neon tubes therefrom. Furthermore, neon lamps consume a considerable amount of electric power due to the use of high electric voltage.
Moreover, neon lamps have a low durability and can hardly be used under water.
A light emitting structure using a light emitting diode (LED) has been suggested in recent days as means to supplement the above drawbacks of neon lamps.
The conventional light emitting structure is manufactured by installing LEDs on a transparent floor and pouring polymer resin thereonto. However, this manufacturing method poses problems in controlling thickness of the light emitting structure to be slim as well as in providing a light emitting surface of various colors due to a comprehensively dark tone of the advertisement materials employing the LED, which is the only source of brightness.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. Hei 11-195564, filed on Jul. 9, 1999 and laid open on Nov. 2, 2000, discloses an LED for display.
In the LED for display disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. HeiII-195564 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 thereof, a light emitted from an LED 20 travels straight after penetrating a through hole 31 formed in the reflecting material 30 and is reflected through both side walls thereof, or the LED 20 only is installed inside of a mold frame II without any reflecting material for emitting a light.
This conventional technology employed an additional reflecting material 30 of a funnel shape to emit the light from the LED 20 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 because the light from the LED 20 is not properly dispersed or emitted in case of FIGS. 9 and 10. However, the reflecting material 30 can hardly be manufactured into a funnel shape and combined with the LED 20, thereby posing difficulties in the manufacturing process and increasing the manufacturing cost.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an indoor/outdoor advertising device and a method for manufacturing the same that can achieve a dispersion effect without using any additional funnel and with or without an epoxy molding on light elements by emitting the light throughout the entire emitting surface of an advertisement material at night or even during the daytime, and that consumes a smaller amount of electric power by employing LEDs and that can be safely used under water because of an epoxy molding.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a method for manufacturing an indoor/outdoor advertising device, comprising: a first step of manufacturing a mold (panel) for characters or shapes of a signboard or an advertising material; a second step of coating a luster urethane paint on a lower portion or on both side walls of the panel at a predetermined thickness; a third step of first coating a transparent epoxy and acrylic material at a thickness ranged 0.5-5 mm on an upper surface of the luster urethane paint; a fourth step of fixedly lining a plurality of light elements irrelevant to size or shape at intervals ranged 1-5 cm in accordance with the mold for characters or shapes so as to stream electricity; a fifth step of lining out one end tip of + and xe2x88x92 lead wires connected to the plurality of light elements from the mold; a sixth step of secondly coating the transparent epoxy to the extent of covering the plurality of light elements; and a seventh step of thirdly coating the epoxy, which is a mixture of a translucent fluorescent pigment with a light dispersing agent, on an upper surface of the transparent epoxy.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the method for manufacturing the indoor/outdoor advertising device is characterized by aligning polycarbonate in a mold shape instead of the epoxy, which is a mixture of a translucent fluorescent pigment and with a light disperse agent, on an upper surface of the transparent epoxy.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the method for manufacturing the indoor/outdoor advertising device is characterized by covering the mold of a transparent acrylic material with a space as thick as the second transparent epoxy material that would have been coated, and by coating the epoxy mixed with a translucent fluorescent pigment.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the method for manufacturing an indoor/outdoor advertising device is characterized by covering the mold of a transparent acrylic material with a space as thick as the transparent epoxy that would have been coated, and by aligning the polycarbonate thereon in a mold shape.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, the method for manufacturing an indoor/outdoor advertising device is characterized by employing LEDs as light elements and uniformly aligning the LEDs upward, downward or in a transversal direction so that the head portions of the LEDs can be adjacent to a bottom surface or side surfaces thereof.
An indoor/outdoor advertising device employing light elements as a light source according to the present invention comprises: a mold of a predetermined shape; a first epoxy and acrylic material first coated on an inner surface of the mold for reflecting lights from the light elements; a second transparent epoxy material coated for dispersing the lights from the light elements installed at an upper portion of the first epoxy and acrylic material; and a third epoxy material, which is a mixture of a translucent fluorescent pigment with a light dispersing agent, aligned on an upper surface of the second transparent epoxy material for smoothing emission of lights.